The investigative powers of Whangarei policeman Richard Soper weren't enough to locate his beloved Siberian husky for nearly a year until she was located, of all places, outside a police station.
His young family now has "blimmin three dogs" - the just-found husky and two border collies - although the circumstances behind the former's disappearance on September 28, 2013 may never be known.
Mr Soper was at work that day and his wife Erana was tending to their children when she heard her other dog bark before noticing the gate was open.
"I knew straight away [that she was missing]. Everybody here knew who she was. We went on Facebook, Northern Advocate website, 7 Sharp and Campbell Live websites," she said. Mr Soper said there were heaps of possible sightings, including a dead dog near Oakleigh, which he acted upon but they yielded no results.
All their dogs are named after fictional movie characters.
